Mycoplasma contamination of cell culture systems continues to present major problems for basic research as well as for the manufacturing of bioproducts.
Around 25 percent of cell culture contaminations are due to Mycoplasma species. This wall-less bacteria constitutes the smallest self-replicating microorganism and because of their small size they can pass through some filters used to sterilize culture media. Mycoplasma infected cells can change physiological, morphological and immunological cell properties. Nowadays, detection of Mycoplasma is mandatory for every cell culture laboratory. Mainly, the U.S. Pharmacopoeia and FDA specify that cell culture in pharmaceutical production must be Mycoplasma-free.
Mycoplasma infection in cell cultures normally is a chronic infection which may not be obvious by visual inspection with light microscopy; consequently, it is crucial to develop effective methodologies to test Mycoplasma contaminations periodically. A variety of tests to detect Mycoplasmas in cell cultures have been developed (e.g. fluorochrome staining of DNA, monitoring toxic metabolites, culture method, etc.) but each method shows certain disadvantages. The major drawback of those methods is non-specificity or a very time-consuming procedure.